Fuel and air shut off valve structure



April 12, 1955 PQWELL 2,705,944

FUEL AND AIR SHUT OFF VALVE STRUCTUE Filed Sept. 1, 1951 Jzzaxe Man 157d War/rays.

United States Patent FUEL AND AIR SHUT OFF VALVE STRUCTURE Robert J. Powell, Muskegon, MlClL, assignor to Confinental Motors Corporation, Muskegon, M1cl1., a corporation of Virginia Application September 1, 1951, Serial No. 244,775

3 Claims. (Cl. 123-198) My invention relates to an internal combustion engine and more particularly to control means for such engines.

In many industrial engine installations, the engine is forced to work under adverse climatic conditions. Again such engines are today being operated at higher temperatures than formally, and merely turning off the ignition switch does not stop the engine, as combustible fuel mixtures are drawn into the engine cylinders and continue to ignite by spontaneous combustion. A closing of a valve between the engine carburetor and the source of fuel supply does not suffice to stop the engine since the residual fuel in the carburetor bowl will be drawn out of the bowl, mixed with air and dumped into the engine cylinders as a combustible mixture with the resuit that the engine still continues to run.

An object of my invention is to overcome the dithculties mentioned above by providing an induction sys tem in which there is prevented a combustible mixture being drawn into the engine cylinders. This is accomplished by venting the intake manifold so that extremely large amounts of air are drawn into the manifold resulting in the formation of a very lean mixture so that it will not ignite by spontaneous combustion. Thus, I obtain a positive stopping of the engine as planned.

For a more detailed understanding of my present invention, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like parts are referred to by like reference characters throughout the several views, and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an internal cornbustion engine showing my invention embodied in the assembly.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the valve structure in said fuel inlet line leading to the engine carburetor, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of said valve structure taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, I have chosen to illustrate my invention in connection with an internal combustion engine of conventional construction. The engine illustrated is provided with a fuel and air mixture induction system comprising a carburetor 11, and intake manifold 12, a fuel tank 13 and a fuel line 14 connecting the carburetor with the fuel supply represented by said fuel tank.

A valve structure A is installed in the fuel line or duct 14 and comprises a valve casing 15 and a rotatable valve member 16 provided with a cross passage 17. The valve casing 15 is provided with a passage 18 connected with the fuel line 14 and a second passage 19 disposed at right angles to passage 18. A line or pipe 20 connects passage 19 to the intake manifold 12, and an air filter 21 unit is carried by the casing and associated with the intake end of passage 19. The valve member 16 carries an extension 22 on which a lever 23 is mounted, this lever being connected with a push and pull wire or other suitable connection 24 so that lever 23 can be rocked to adjust the valve member in said valve casing.

It will be observed that the valve is shown in Fig. 3 as adjusted to open the fuel line 14, such adjustment being for normal engine operation. To insure stopping of the engine, the valve member 16 may be turned through an Patented Apr. 12, 1955 are of approximately degrees, at the time said engine ignition is cut-off, which adjustment will definitely cut-off communication of the engine carburetor with the fuel tank, but will at the same time open the line 20 to atmosphere and allow the engine suction to draw air directly into the intake manifold, thus establishing a very lean mixture of air and fuel in the intake manifold, such a mixture being quite inadequate to support combustion.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine, an engine fuel and air mixture induction system comprising a carburetor and an intake manifold, a fuel duct conducting liquid fuel to said carburetor, a valve in said fuel duct including a valve casing and a rotatable valve member, and a duct connecting said valve casing with the intake manifold, said valve constructed to be actuated to close off said fuel duct and to simultaneously open said duct connected with the intake manifold to atmosphere to vent the manifold.

2. In an internal combustion engine, an engine fuel and air mixture induction system comprising a carburetor and an intake manifold, a source of fuel supply and a fuel duct connected to said source of fuel supply and with said carburetor, and a valve structure in an intermediate portion of said fuel duct, connections between said valve structure and the intake manifold, and valve means carried by said valve structure and operable to selectively open said fuel duct or to close said fuel duct and vent said intake manifold, said valve structure having right angle passages respectively registering with said fuel duct and the connection with the intake manifold, said valve means having a rotatable valve plug provided with a passage selectively adjusted for registry with either of the valve structure passages to either open the fuel duct while closing the connection with the intake manifold or open the connection with the intake manifold to vent the induction system while closing the fuel duct connecting the carburetor with said source of fuel supply.

3. In an internal combustion engine, an engine fuel and air mixture induction system comprising a carburetor and an intake manifold, a source of fuel supply and a fuel duct connected to said source of fuel supply and with said carburetor, and a valve structure in an intermediate portion of said fuel duct, connections between said valve structure and the intake manifold, and valve means carried by said valve structure and operable to selectively open said fuel duct or to close said fuel duct and vent said intake manifold, said valve structure having right angle passages respectively registering with said fuel duct and the connection with the intake manifold, said valve means having a rotatable valve plug provided with a passage selectively adjusted for registry with either of the valve structure passages to either open the fuel duct while closing the connection with the intake manifold or open the connection with the intake manifold to vent the induction system while closing the fuel duct connecting the carburetor with said source of fuel supply, and an air filter carried by said valve structure to filter any air tending to be drawn into the intake manifold when said connection therewith is opened by said valve means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,000,523 Illsley Aug. 15, 1911 1,243,301 Jensen Oct. 16, 1917 1,310,094 Smith July 15, 1919 1,582,528 Michael Apr. 27, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 773,014 France Nov. 10, 1934 

